Is any genre more slandered with wrongheaded stereotypes than romance? Let’s put to rest all those bare-chested, long-maned he-men (news flash: Fabio hasn’t been on a book cover in two decades) and retire, once and for all, the cringey term “bodice ripper” (unless you’re a fabulous Los Angeles/Brooklyn bookstore and you use it with a wink). I could go on, but if such old saws inform your understanding of romance fiction, then I invite you to explore our special romance issue closely. Prepare to have your misconceptions dispelled and your literary world expanded.

Yes, this issue celebrates all things romance, a genre indisputably on the rise. According to NPD BookScan, 2022 saw a 52.4% increase in sales of romance books, dwarfing all other genres. But beyond the sales figures, we’re also seeing an explosion of new stories, new characters, and new settings; the only thing that remains immutable is the happily-ever-after (or at least the happy-for-now) ending. If you aren’t crying tears of joy at the end, you haven’t been reading a romance novel.

No one represents the dramatic expansion of the genre better than author Casey McQuiston, whose portrait on our cover was drawn by artist Virginie Garnier. McQuiston burst onto the scene in 2019 with Red, White & Royal Blue, a lively enemies-to-lovers tale featuring the bisexual son of a U.S. president and a gay British prince who spar their way into a steamy love affair; our starred review called it a “clever, romantic, sexy love story.” (A widely viewed film adaptation of the novel dropped on Prime Video last August.) This bestselling queer nonbinary author put out another adult novel and a YA romance, too; later this year will bring their hotly anticipated new book, The Pairing. They recently spoke with editor at large Megan Labrise about their work and their totally endearing love of romance: “Romance is a refuge for people like me,” they told us.

For a more panoramic view of the romantic landscape, we turned to writer Jennifer Prokop, co-host of the essential Fated Mates podcast and a regular Kirkus reviewer. We asked Prokop to identify the most exciting trends in romance, and she came back with the special feature “13 Romance Authors Who Are Making Space in the Genre,” celebrating writers such as Emily Henry, Camryn Garrett, Jeannie Chin, Ruby Dixon, and Kosoko Jackson—writers who are finding new ways to tell love stories without sacrificing what readers have long sought in romance fiction: powerful emotions.

Elsewhere in the issue, we revisit a very special episode of our Fully Booked podcast, which found guest host Sarah MacLean (bestselling author of the Bareknuckle Bastards and Hell’s Belles series) in conversation with rising romance star Adriana Herrera, whose novels A Caribbean Heiress in Paris and An Island Princess Starts a Scandal bring her Latine heroines to the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris and let the sparks fly. And young readers’ editor Laura Simeon surveys the field of young adult romance, finding six new novels that showcase the diversity of offerings for teens. Love is in the air, and we’re giddy with it.

Tom Beer is the editor-in-chief.